Young Jar-Jar Binks
by Masquerade
Summary: A story from Jar-Jar's childhood.
1. Young Jar Jar Binks: Prologue

Star Wars: Jar-Jar Binks

All SW characters and related characters are © George Lucas and LucasFilms

All plants and animals are © The Gungan Frontier and Learning Lucas

Prologue: Training

About ten years before the Phantom Menace, eight year old Jar-Jar lived in Otoh Gunga with his mother and father. His mother was a foot soldier in the Gungan Grand Army, and his father was a bishop at the Otoh Cathedral. Jar-Jar learned everything a boy his age needed to learn from his mother: how to hunt, swim, climb, read, write, and manners most importantly. When Jar-Jar went to school, he had a lot of friends who would hang out with him in the Otoh Gunga Gardens after class; but as he got older, poor Jar-Jar would get clumsier, and that's when the older kids started to play pranks on him.

After everything from parent conferences to fighting back didn't work, the school bullies started beating Jar-Jar up, and the Gungan boy had almost no friends. Jar-Jar's mother, Ziza Horra Binks, saw no other alternative to Jar-Jar's problem, but to enroll him in warrior training.

This story takes place after Jar-Jar was released from the city mediglobe from a major beating that left him almost eyeless…

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"Yousa cwazy, Ziza." Her husband scolded. "Hesa never gonna make it! Hesa gonna kill 'imself."

"Hesa not, Olmars." Ziza insisted. "Now yousa hush, yousa attractin attention." Ziza and her husband were in the mediglobe waiting room where other Gungans were awaiting treatment or release. Some were staring at the couple inquisitively, others were reading magazines, or paying attention to a Cantina Radio on one corner of the room. 

"Jar-Jar issa too young." Olmars sneered at Ziza's idea. "Yousa can't put 'im in trainin."

"Hesa needin to be brave." The mother advised. "Dat's sometin my could never teach 'im, and yousa know dat. Dis issa probably da best ting wesa can do for 'im."

"Binks?" a nurse called from an open door, looking around the room. Ziza stood up, her armor glinting dully in the artificial lights in the ceiling. "Yousa son issa ready to leave." The nurse herded the little Gungan boy to his parents. Jar-Jar timidly clung to his mother as she knelt to hug him.

"Can wesa go home, mama?" Jar-Jar squeaked. Ziza nodded, picking up Jar-Jar from the ground and into her strong arms, looking at his bruised face.

"Wesa goin home, Jar-Jar. Yousa no worry."

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"Yousa actin lika baby, Jar-Jar." Olmars lectured as the family walked back to their bubble house. Jar-Jar, still in his mother's arms, looked at his father like a gullipud cornered by a yobstrimp. "Yousa gotta make dees bullies stop. Dis issa fifth time dis week."

"Mesa sorry, papa." Jar-Jar moaned. "Mesa didn't see dem comin."

"Well next time, yousa mama not gonna be dere to save yous. Yousa gots to stand up for yerself."

"Olmars." Ziza interrupted, turning her head sharply to him. "Yousa go easy on 'im. Deysa sneakin up on 'im when mesa find 'im. Jar-Jar issa lucky dat dey didn't poke hisa eyes out." Upon hearing that, Jar-Jar hugged Ziza's neck in fear. Ziza rubbed his back in reassurance.

"And another ting." Olmars growled, watching his wife in disgust. "Yousa too attached to Jar-Jar, Ziza. Yousa can't be dere for 'im all da time, and hesa gonna up and leave when hesa older. Hesa can't be dependen on his mama."

"All da more reason to send Jar-Jar to trainin." Ziza smiled at Olmars. Olmars turned to look at a school of daggart that were swimming past the transparent walls of the buildings. Jar-Jar lifted his head to look at his mother.

"Trainin?"

"Yousa mama gonna send yousa to become a warrior, Jar-Jar." Olmars told his son over his shoulder. Jar-Jar's eyes lit up for a split second, then were filled with horror, and he looked back at his mother.

"Mama! Mesa no wanna go to trainin!" he squealed, grabbing her so tightly that he could suffocate her. Ziza finally stooped to put her son back on the ground as they were about to enter the main square.

"Oh, Jar-Jar, yousa no baby no more, yousa young man. Issa time to become grown up and responsible. One day, yousa gonna go into battle, and not know what to do. Yousa needin to learn dis." Then she looked up at her husband, who had stopped by her. "Issa also da law."

"Issa is," Olmars nodded, "Mesa agree with yous dere, but hesa too young. Hesa gotta be ten."

"Hesa can do it, mesa know it." Ziza explained, looking at her husband's stone face. Jar-Jar looked between them; his parents could win arguments with anyone, but when they argued with each other the fight usually lasted for days. Finally, Ziza stood up, waving a hand in the air in futility. "Okieday, let'sa discuss dis later. Issa getting late." Without saying a word, Olmars walked into the square without them. Ziza growled after him, taking Jar-Jar's hand and walking into the square.

"Hesa tinking hesa some Jedi talkin to mesa like dat…" she muttered to herself. Jar-Jar blinked up at her.

"Huh?"

"Oh, nutin." Jar-Jar smiled and hugged his mother's hand as they walked home.

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That night, Jar-Jar lay in bed listening to his parents argue about his fate. Jar-Jar was nervous about warrior training, but it would make him just like his mother: strong, brave, respected, wise…the list could go on forever. Jar-Jar lay in bed, clutching his pillow. Tomorrow, Ziza would take Jar-Jar to…where were they going to train? In Otoh Gunga? Or the warrior's capital city Sugo Natai? Sugo Natai, that was where the old traditions lived, everyone spoke the old Gungan tongue, and they were very war like. Going there would be pretty scary. Or maybe they would go to the surface, where the Naboo lived. Now that was scary! He had never seen a Naboo, and he didn't wish to either.

Jar-Jar started to hum to himself to get him to sleep. How could he leave home? He knew he was leaving Otoh Gunga, but if only he knew where. Ziza said he would need to get some sleep, because tomorrow would be a long journey, and they wouldn't reach their destination until nightfall. He really didn't like the thought of leaving all of Otoh Gunga behind; it was the only world, the only galaxy, he'd ever known. Well, as long as his mother was with him, Jar-Jar wasn't afraid of anything. She'd be there to help him. She was a true warrior, and everybody loved her. She'd make Jar-Jar a warrior yet! With that thought, Jar-Jar went to sleep humming his song.

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Jar-Jar woke up that morning to his father shaking him awake. Ziza had a bongo ready, and they were headed to the surface. Jar-Jar had jumped out of bed and clutched his father in absolute fear. The schoolyard stories about the Naboo had scared him to death in the past: that they were Gungan children eating monsters who lived in huge cities that were made out of the bones of poor defenseless animals. Olmars had to pry Jar-Jar off him to get the Gungan boy back on the floor. Jar-Jar got dressed for the day, had breakfast, and joined his mother at the bongo bay where she had rented a bongo for the trip.

Jar-Jar climbed in the passenger seat of the bongo, and peeked over the window frame at his father, waving his four-fingered hand. "Bye papa!"

"Yousa try to learn sometin, Jar-Jar." Olmars smiled. Olmars gave his wife a last minute hug as she boarded into the bongo. She activated the membrane shield, and backed out of the docking bay and into the waters surrounding Otoh Gunga. Ziza looked at Jar-Jar, who was studying the waters outside the bongo.

"Jar-Jar," Ziza began, thinking of something to keep her son busy through the trip. "How many fish can yousa name?"

"Uh…" Jar-Jar began, looking out the membrane at all the fish swimming by. "Dere's some daggart over dere, and…uh…" His father taught him all about the animals on Naboo, on the surface and under the water. Jar-Jar was especially an expert on birds. "Dere's a school of Goopie Fish, and dere's some Faynaa…" Ziza wasn't paying attention, she was just piloting the bongo through the waters until they could reach land. After an hour or so, they reached a land bank, and the bongo surfaced, scaring some mott that had been wading in the water. Ziza beached the bongo on land, and deactivated the membrane to step out. Jar-Jar got out and splashed in the shallow swamp water. 

"Mama, wheresa are wesa?" Jar-Jar asked, looking around and listening to the sounds of the surface. Birds, chubas, bugs, animals; they all were familiar, yet they seemed alien to the Gungan boy.

"Wesa on private property." Ziza explained, walking out of the swamp and onto the muddy beach. "But wesa no stayin here, wesa going to da mountains up dere." She pointed to the distance, where Jar-Jar could barely make out a foggy cliff side.

"All da way up dere?"

"Issa not as far as yousa tink. Now, c'mon. Da landowners gotta kaadu waitin for ussen somewhere…" Ziza started walking into the forest before them. Jar-Jar ran after her.

"Mama! Wait for mesa!" Jar-Jar hollered, running into the strange, green wilderness. He took her hand into his as they walked through the underbrush. Jar-Jar had never seen so many strange plants in one place, not even in his mother's herb garden. Despite her warrior status in Otoh Gunga, Ziza Horra Binks had kept a garden full of plants and flowers. Jar-Jar didn't learn most of their names, but he liked the little yellow flowers that Ziza kept in her bedroom, and the suma plants that filled the air with a heavenly smell that made the entire household smelling like spring. Ziza stopped planting suma when it mysteriously became infested with clodhoppers, and had to rip out the sweet smelling plants from her garden.

After a few minutes, Ziza spotted a reigned and saddled kaadu chewing on some blumbush. "Dat must be it." She sighed in relief. "Whew, mesa wouldn't want to walk up dere again." She jumped into the saddle, and hoisted Jar-Jar up into the front, and on her lap. She spurred the kaadu lightly with one foot and it traveled in the direction of the mountains.

"So, mama, whosa gonna train me?" Jar-Jar asked as the kaadu sped from a walk to a trot.

"Hesa good friend of mesa. Wesa grew up together, and hesa bombad best soldier in da Grand Army. Yousa like 'im, Jar-Jar; hesa nice guy…once yousa get to know 'im, dat is."

"Huh," Jar-Jar huffed in thought, "mesa hopin hesa like kids…"

"Sure, sure. Hesa papa himself; hesa granda actually."

"Oh." Jar-Jar nodded. He lay back against his mother's chest, and relaxed. She wasn't wearing her armor today, but she was wearing a comfortable tunic and dress pants, all a pure white. She was very beautiful in it, but she didn't look like a warrior in her tunic, she looked like any other person. That wasn't how Jar-Jar saw his mother at all, not as another person, but as the best dang soldier in the Grand Army. Sure, there was General Ceel and General Sydewynder and even Boss Karayna of the High Council, but Ziza Horra Binks stood out over them all in Jar-Jar's eyes. There was nobody like his mother.

The journey was longer than Jar-Jar thought it would be. They had to stop a couple times to eat. Ziza had picked some plants and fruit along the way for them to snack on. As they heard Nyork hunting in a nearby creek, Ziza realized that it might have been a mistake to not bring her spear. So, she and Jar-Jar caught some Nyork by hand and yanked the meat out of the shell with their foot-long tongues. By the time they reached the foot of the mountains, the sun was starting to set and the sky was slowly bleeding a deep red. Jar-Jar sat in the saddle of the kaadu while Ziza took the reigns of the war animal and walked it up the cliff side. The climb was long and quite steep, and it took longer than the walk there. 

Jar-Jar looked at the view of the forest that was getting bigger and bigger from the climb up. There were trees as far as the horision, and no sign of Naboo cities. Well, even if there were cities of those mean ol Naboo, Jar-Jar wouldn't be scared cause his mother could fight a million of them. Birds flew in huge flocks, animals herded in the forest clearings, small animals waded in shallow ponds, predators stalked their helpless prey…all the sights were overwhelming! Jar-Jar had never seen so many animals in one place! Not even at the city zoo.

There was barely any light to travel by as they finally reached the top of the cliff. Surprisingly, the entire mountainside was full of grassy fields and dented with hills, blemished by several forests and small ponds and mudholes. In the distance, Jar-Jar could see a strange building that looked like a big box with a strange wooden roof. It looked like a Naboo building…a primitive living quarter. Was it inhabited by Naboo, or one of those scary outlanders? Maybe it was an outcast's hideout, or even…

"Wesa here." Ziza announced to Jar-Jar. "Why don't yousa go see if anybody's home?" Jar-Jar nodded, and jumped off the kaadu. Not smart, he fell face first into the grass. He stood up, and dusted himself off as he ran for the house.

" Hey! Issa anybody here?" Jar-Jar called as he neared the threshold. Some lights blinked on in the windows and the front door opened. Out stepped a Gungan woman in warrior armor and leather headflank. She looked like the traditional warrior from Otoh Gunga, but she was rather old by the look of her face. The old woman looked at Jar-Jar strangely, then saw his mother walking the kaadu behind her, and laughed with a smile.

"Ziza! Issa been a while." The old woman greeted, then she noticed the kaadu and shook her head. "Dere she is. Oh no, hesa not gonna be happy tomorrow."

"Whosa?" Jar-Jar asked. The old woman looked at the small boy standing next to her.

"And whosa dis?" the old woman asked. "Yousa son?"

"Uh-huh." Ziza nodded. "Dis issa Jar-Jar Binks."

"Binks…" the old woman muttered to herself. "Binks, Binks…dat's ringin a few bells, but mesa…well, why don't yousa two come in and make yerselves at home." Jar-Jar ran right inside as Ziza and the old woman walked into the house and closing the door behind them. The old woman's husband, the man that would train Jar-Jar, was going to meet them at the landing sight, but the kaadu ran off before he could get going, and was searching the jungles for it. He would probably be back by later tonight, so spending the night wouldn't be a bad idea. Jar-Jar found a staircase, and wandered up it to find several upstairs rooms. He ventured around until he found a room with two cots piled with blankets. Jar-Jar, assuming that this would be his bedroom, jumped onto one of the beds closest to the window, and snuggled inside the blankets. He accidentally fell asleep a few seconds later.

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His stomach woke him up that morning. As he sat up, pain crashed into his stomach like someone punched him. After groaning for a few minutes, he got up and made his way to the stairs. He felt awful, mostly because he slept in his clothes, which were made of itchy xosha grass his mother weaved for him. Also, it was a warm summer night, not a good night to sleep under a bunch of blankets; Jar-Jar was sweating so much he stank. It was probably the worst night's sleep he ever had. Who exactly lived here anyway?

As he finally came down to the end of the stairs, he noticed that Ziza, the old woman from last night, and an old man, were sitting at the table having breakfast. The old man was just a couple inches shorter than the average Gungan, and a dark weathered color. He had short whiskers hanging from his nose, and had some of the biggest mussels Jar-Jar had ever seen on any Gungan in existence. Was this the man who was going to train Jar-Jar?

Finally, Ziza noticed Jar-Jar and chuckled. "Well, yousa up, finally." She announced. All eyes turned to Jar-Jar, including the old man's whose were tinted with aggression. Jar-Jar shied his head away for a split second, then looked at the old man timidly as the Gungan smiled warmly at him, and the aggression vanished.

"So, wesa meet at last, Jar-Jar." The man greeted. He extended a hand for the boy to shake. Jar-Jar hesitated, then walked over to grab it.

"Issa nice to meet yous…uh…whosa…"

"Tarpals. Captn Norlo Tarpals." The Gungan introduced himself, shaking Jar-Jar's hand firmly.

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Tarpals pointed to the direction of the fishing hole, just to the left of the house a few meters away, so Jar-Jar could get started. Jar-Jar took off running; his warm up was to catch something, preferably a Goopie fish, for tonight's dinner. Tarpals watched him run off with a chuckle: the kid wasn't half-bad, a little naïve and innocent, but had some mussel on him. It would take a while, but he could teach the kid how to develop a backbone.

As Jar-Jar front flipped into the lake, Ziza came out of the house to stand by Tarpals. She crossed her arms as she watched the ripples in the lake spread.

"Hesa have potential." Tarpals reported to her, "But, uh, hesa needen some social skills. Teamwork issa big factor in da army."

"My know." Ziza nodded as the ripples disappeared. "Da kids at school had made 'im shy. Issa gonna be hard, but my know yousa can turn 'im around."

"I'll try." Tarpals half-frowned. "Issa maybe easier for mesa, since mesa gots a student in trainin already."

"What?" Ziza blinked at Tarpals. Tarpals turned his head to look Ziza in the eye.

"Mesa gots a student in trainin: A boy, bout Jar-Jar's age. Theysa should get along fine."

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Below the water of the fishing hole, Jar-Jar spotted lots of daggert and tiny faynaa that were too small to eat him. Nothing that could be considered a meal. There was Goopie fish down here; Tarpals said so. Jar-Jar kept looking, finding more daggart, a couple chuba, more small fishes, nothing that could make a meal. This was getting boring quickly; there was absolutely nothing worth hunting to eat down here.

As he started to head back up to the surface, he noticed a huge figure swimming straight for him. It looked like a huge fish as big as Jar-Jar. The Gungan boy panicked and swam for the surface. He jumped onto the bank, and shook himself dry. He looked back at where he last saw his mother and Tarpals, and they were gone. They went to sit on the cliffside and talk. Good, they didn't see him. Maybe they wouldn't know he was here hiding from that huge fish. Jar-Jar looked back at the water for any sign of that monstrous Oope of a pond fish. Then, something popped a muddy head from the surface, and looked around. Jar-Jar blinked at it for a couple seconds then realized that it was a Gungan boy covered in swamp mud. Jar-Jar smiled, and waved to him with a smile. The boy in the water noticed him, and looked him over curiously. Finally, after a few moments, the boy swam over to Jar-Jar, and shook himself dry.

"Heddo." Jar-Jar greeted with a friendly chirp. "Whosa are yousa?"

"I'm Doyce." The boy said with a deeper voice than Jar-Jar's. "Howsa bout yousa?"

"Mesa called Jar-Jar Binks."

"Nice to meet yous, Binks." The other boy smiled, shaking Jar-Jar's hand. "Yousa from Otoh Gunga?"

"Uh-huh." Jar-Jar nodded. "How's bout yous?"

"Yep. Born dere, and livin dere. So, whatsa city boy like yousa doin up here on da surface?"

"Mesa trainin under Captn Tarpals." Jar-Jar explained as Doyce turned back to the fishing hole. "Yousa too?"

"Yep." Doyce answered, stretching his arms over his head as he kept his eyes on the shadows under the water. "Mesa been warmin up for da past couple days, catchin meals and critters. Yousa no look like yousa gots da stomach for dis by da way yousa panicked back dere."

"Oh, my gots plenty o stomach." Jar-Jar informed. Doyce looked back at Jar-Jar with a challenging smirk.

"Heh, an attempt at wit, issa dat what dat was?" Doyce pitied.

"Na-uh, mesa just sayin…"

"Shhh-shhh." Doyce hissed, stooping low suddenly, watching something below the water. Jar-Jar was silent as Doyce crept into the water, then stood still, watching. Jar-Jar noticed the huge shadow swimming just below the water, and recognized the shape of the huge fish. Doyce was gonna catch that fish by himself? It would take three warriors to bring that huge thing out of the water. Suddenly, Doyce ducked quickly into the water in the speed of a blink. Jar-Jar watched in suspenseful silence as he waited for Doyce to come up. There was a pause for a few minutes, then Jar-Jar felt someone watching him from behind. He turned to see Tarpals and his mother looking at the fishing hole just like Jar-Jar was only with less concern. Finally, Tarpals looked at Jar-Jar.

"Yousa meet Doyce yet?" he asked.

"Yep." Jar-Jar nodded. "Hesa bombad nice."

"Hesa fishin?"

"Uh-huh." Jar-Jar looked back at the water, and a couple of bubbles rose to the top of the water, disturbing the stillness. "Hesa gotta biiiiig fish. Mesa never see nutin like it."

"Hmmm." Tarpals thought to himself. Then, Doyce exploded out of the water with a hunting cry, and dove back in with a titanic splash. He surfaced half a second later, swearing to himself. "Watch yousa language, Sydewynder!" Tarpals called to Doyce as the boy swam back to the bank. "Specially when yousa round mesa!"

"Mesa sorry, Captn Tarpals." Doyce smiled sheepishly as he came back on the bank to stand by Jar-Jar. Ziza looked at Tarpals in surprise.

"Sydewynder? So dis is Sydewynder's boy?" she asked, smiling at the muddy Doyce Sydewynder.

"Yes." Tarpals nodded. "Da kids a genius. Hesa catchin critters by outsmartin dem. Issa de most remarkin ting mesa ever seen." Doyce smiled and put one hand behind his head with pride.

"Well, mesa no liken braggin but…"

SPLASH! Jar-Jar disappeared into the water. Doyce watched for a second, blinking curiously. After a few moments, Jar-Jar and the huge fish leaped out of the water with the fish beside him then kicked it hard with one foot and a shout, and the fish was beached on the bank, flopping a few times, then it was still. Doyce's jaw dropped to the ground.

"Yousa tooke eater!" Doyce cursed. "Dat's da fish mesa was drivin up here for days!"

"Issa bombad big Goopie fish." Jar-Jar agreed, swimming to the bank by the fish. Tarpals whistled at the sight of the fish.

"About five feet long. Howsa get so big, yousa boys tink?" Tarpals asked them. Doyce looked up at Tarpals.

"Metinks dat issa feedin on da bubble spore growing justa down river from here. Issa making lotsa da fish fat in dat river." Doyce looked down the fishing hole where it opened into a river that flowed into a huge forest of trees and ferns. "Issa good eatin for da preditors, too."

"Well, letsa get dis ting inside." Tarpals suggested, grabbing the dead fish by its gold yellow tail. "Issa be good eatin for ussen." Ziza helped him drag it a couple feet until Jar-Jar lifted the head off the ground and carried it in his hands. Doyce watched in amazement.

"Geez, yousa sure strong, Binks." Doyce commented in surprise. Jar-Jar smiled as Doyce as they walked.

"Mesa mama teach mesa good." Jar-Jar giggled. Doyce blinked, and continued to follow them.

"Social problems, eh Ziza?" Tarpals smiled as Ziza. Ziza frowned a little.

"My dunno." She shrugged it off. "Maybe hesa didn't crunch Jar-Jar up first." Tarpals looked at the two boys trailing behind them side by side, and couldn't help but smile.

"Theysa gonna do okieday, metinks." He assumed to Ziza as they hauled the fish up the porch.

The Beginning

(Next time: Gungan Dashers)


	2. Young Jar Jar Binks: Part 1

Star Wars: Jar-Jar Binks

All SW characters are © George Lucas and LucasFilms

All plants and animals are © LucasLearning and Gungan Frontier

Gungan Dashers

Last chapter, Jar-Jar had a slight problem with bullies that were beating him up. After a nightlong argument with each other, Jar-Jar's parents believed that taking Jar-Jar to warrior training, even though he was too young, would be the best for him. Jar-Jar's mother, Ziza Horra Binks, took Jar-Jar to the surface to be trained under one of Ziza's best friends. She took him to a farm that was run by Captain Tarpals and his wife.

Jar-Jar discovered later the next day that Tarpals was training a boy named Doyce Sydewynder, a young Gungan genius. Doyce and Jar-Jar appeared that they would be friends, but that would remain uncertain until the training starts…

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"Will yousa be stayin, Mrs. Binks?" Doyce asked Ziza as she helped Tarpal's wife prepare dinner for that night. It was midday, but preparing the huge fish that Jar-Jar caught would take until dinnertime. Ziza smiled at little Doyce.

"My fraid not, Doyce." She shook her head. "Mesa musta get back to Otoh Gunga. Issa no being right to be stayin here. Jar-Jar issa too dependent on mesa, and my would only distract 'im from 'is trainin."

"My see." Doyce nodded. "Well, issa Jar-Jar ready for dis? My no tinkin…"

"Jar-Jar issa more dan ready." Ziza explained. "My taught 'im everytin my could teach a boy his age. My expectin Tarpals to do da rest."

"Oh." Doyce nodded again. "Mesa granda figured dat too. Dat's kinda da reason my here."

"DOYCE!!!" Tarpals shouted from outside the house. "GETTEN OUT HERE NOW!!!" 

"Gotta go." Doyce feared, running for the door, and waving to Ziza. "G'day Mrs. Binks!"

"G'luck, Doyce." Ziza wished, waving back. When Doyce zipped out the door, Ziza returned to the fish.

*************

"Yousan gotta be more prepared dan dis, Doyce." Tarpals scolded. "Yousan gonna fail if yous keepin dis up."

"Forgive mesa." Doyce bowed as he reached Tarpals and Jar-Jar. "My didn't know dat wesan trainin dis minute."

"Next time, my no want excuses outta yousan, Sydewynder." Tarpals warned. Then he turned and started walking to the open plains. "Okieday. Letten da trainin begin." Jar-Jar followed by Tarpal's side while Doyce trailed behind. Tarpals looked down at Jar-Jar. "Yousan gotten any experience in da fighten arts, Binks?"

"Eh?" Jar-Jar blinked up at the old Gungan. "What bein 'experience?'"

"Do yousa know how to fight, issa what my askin." Tarpals simplified his question.

"Oh, yessa. Mesa mama taught mesa howta fist fight."

"How long ago?"

"A couple months."

"And dat'sa it?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okieday, well at least yousa gotta grasp at da fundamentals." Tarpals stopped at a rock buried halfway into the ground. "Okieday boyos, let'sa see what yousa two got." He pointed to a far off tree. "Issa exactly one hundred meters from dis boulder to dat tree." He looked at the two Gungan boys standing side by side. "How many seconds will it take yousa to run it? Not dat bein a fast runner automatically makes a good fighter, but issa never a bad ting to have strong legs. So, whosa first?"

"Let mesa go first, cap'n." Doyce volunteered. "Yousan be seein legs good enough for da Field Games, if my wanted to qualify."

"Yousan been trained before Doyce?" Tarpals asked suspiciously.

"Yessa sir." Doyce nodded. "Mesan papa enrolled mesa in da Battle Games for two years."

"Well, disan might be interestin." Tarpals smiled. The Battle Games were competitions of strength and skill tested in mock battles and mock wars. Only the best are allowed to become part of the Games. Tarpals walked to the tree and took out a timepiece as Doyce aligned in a running stance beside the boulder.

"Okieday." Tarpals called as he set his timepiece. "Ready! Set! GO!" Doyce took off like a fired laser, running so fast that his legs were a gray blur on his body. As he passed by the tree and Tarpals, the old Gungan looked up from his timepiece. "Unbelievable!" Tarpals exclaimed in surprise. "100 meters in 10.9 seconds. Whadda feat! And what feet." Doyce smiled from where he huffed in tire.

"Huh." He snorted at himself in disappointment. "10.9? Actually, mesan personal best issa 10.1…but with the circumstances, my guess issa no bad."

"C'N I GO NOW?! C'N I GO NOW?!" Jar-Jar yelled to Tarpals, jumping and waving for attention.

"Getten ready, Jar-Jar!" Tarpals warned, as he looked back at his timepiece. Jar-Jar spread his arms behind him and widened his stance, as if he was positioning himself for an oncoming attack.

__

Given mesan break! Doyce laughed to himself. _Whatsa kind o runnin position issa dat?_

"Ready!" Tarpals called out to Jar-Jar. "Set! GO!" Jar-Jar sped over to the tree in a gray flash and past Tarpals. Tarpals smiled in amazement. "Well well well. Eleven seconds flat. No bad, no bad. Not as good as Doyce here, but bery good."

"Oh, please, Cap'n Tarpals." Doyce blushed at the "praise." "Issa no fair to compare 'im to mesa. Hesa doin good in hisa own way."

"O course hesa does." Tarpals agreed. "Good legs dere, Jar-Jar."

"Cap'n Tarpals, sir." Jar-Jar stood attention in front of Tarpals. "Can my change my pants and try again?" Tarpals blinked in surprise.

"What?" Doyce laughed at Jar-Jar's request. "Yousa sayin dat ya lost cause o your pants?" Doyce pinched the knees of his pants and pulled on them to display the poor quality of the saago leather. "Looka dese. Dese looka like runnin pants to yousa?"

"But mine got holes in dem. See?" Jar-Jar pointed to the knees of his pants. There were large holed ripped open, revealing Jar-Jar's pinkish knees. Doyce went bug-eyed in surprise.

"How do yousan wear holes in leather?" Doyce squeaked in disbelief.

"Can my change 'em, Cap'n? Please?" Jar-Jar begged.

"Sure." Tarpals nodded, sharing Doyce's disbelief. Jar-Jar took off from the house. "Strange boy. My hopin hesan no get it from hisa papa…"

***************

"My back!" Jar-Jar announced, running back in a new pair of pants with Otoh Gunga swirls on the sides and waistline. "Okieday, dis time, my doin better."

"Let'sa hope so." Tarpals muttered to himself, looking at his timepiece. "Okieday, Jar-Jar. Ready! Set!" Jar-Jar got back in his own running stance: arms spread like bird wings to his back, feet wide apart. "GO!" Jar-Jar practically flew to the tree, he was running so fast. As he passed Tarpals, Jar-Jar found he couldn't stop running, and…

"WAAAAAAA!"

BAM! He ran smack into the tree, flattened against the trunk. As he fell over on his back, Doyce laughed at him. Tarpals wasn't laughing; he was blinking in shock at his timepiece.

"Eight…point…five…seconds?" Tarpals mumbled, then glanced at Jar-Jar out of the corner of his eye. "Disa boy…?"

"Did my beat Doyce?" Jar-Jar asked hopefully, sounding a little nasal from a flat nose.

"Yousa certainly did." Tarpals nodded, impressed. "8.5 to Doyce's 10.9." Doyce's jaw dropped upon hearing that.

"Wha-what?! Binks, whatsa kind o trainin did yousan mama give yous?" Doyce squeaked in fear.

"Huntin." Jar-Jar shrugged. He wasn't sure how to answer Doyce's nervous question. Tarpals cleared his throat so that all attention was on him.

"Well, dat wasa incredible. My will admit, yousan boys quite amazin. However, yousan both still within Gungan limits. In order to become a warrior, yousan must break da wall o yousan genetic nature. Dat issa da real challenge." He handed Doyce his timepiece. "Clock mesa time, Doyce."

"C-c-Cap'n…" Doyce blinked in fear. "Y-yousa gonna run too?" Tarpals didn't answer as he walked to the boulder. Doyce had no choice but to ready the clock.

"Whenever yousa ready!" Tarpals signaled as he reached the rock.

"Okieday…hokieday." Doyce gulped nervously. _Whatsa hesa provin by doin dis?_ "Ready! Set!" Jar-Jar watched as the old captain simply stood as if he was just listening to Doyce talk and not about to dash for the tree. "GO!" Suddenly, Tarpals bounded foreword, running faster than either Gungan boy could see him. Before they knew it, Jar-Jar and Doyce found Tarpals standing by the tree, not looking tired from his shocking performance.

"Howsa many seconds wasa dat, Doyce?" Tarpals asked simply. Jar-Jar was staring at Tarpals with eyes were bigger than his eyestalks. Doyce's eyes were even bigger than Jar-Jar's, and were staring at the timepiece in fear.

"Fuh…fuh…" Doyce stammered as he answered. "Five…p-point…sih…sih…"

"5.6, eh?" Tarpals smiled. "No too bad for dis ol granda." He turned to his students. "Dat's what my mean by breaken da genetic wall. At yousan age, with trainin and discipline, yousan should be able to break five seconds."

"Really?" Jar-Jar squeaked in amazement. "Wow!"

"Now, all dat runnins gotten mesa tirsty. Jar-Jar, can yousan get me a lum?"

"'Lum?'" Jar-Jar blinked. "What'sa 'lum?'"

"Please, Cap'n," Doyce insisted. "Allowin mesa." He ran for the house before Tarpals could nod his head. Tarpals looked down at Jar-Jar with disappointment.

"Hmm." He began, looking a little thoughtful at Jar-Jar. "In order to master da fighter's ways, one must also possess knowledge…my tinkin dat wesa gonna work on dat area, Binks." Jar-Jar smiled and chuckled nervously. This was not going to be an easy three months; interesting, maybe, but not easy.

The End

Next: The Routine


	3. Young Jar Jar Binks: Part 2

Star Wars: Jar-Jar Binks

Star Wars: Jar-Jar Binks

All Star Wars characters are © Lucasfilms and George Lucus

All Star Wars plants and animals are © Lucas Arts 

Plot, uh "borrowed" from Dragonball comic 29, "Bad Day at Turtle Rock" 

Don't even bother suing me for any of this cause I'm dead broke, okieday?

Tarpals's Final Exam

When school bullies beat up Jar-Jar for the fifth time in one week, his mother sent him from Kinder-Bubble to the surface where he would learn how to fight and be strong. Jar-Jar was sent to Captain Tarpals of the Gungan Grand Army. Tarpals's training ground was a few meters from a cliff overlooking a huge jungle. Tarpals lived with his wife in a cabin near the training ground where they raised and trained battle kaadus. When Jar-Jar arrived, he noticed that Tarpals was already training a Gungan boy named Doyce Sydewyndr. Doyce became Jar-Jar's rival in training with Tarpals, and had been getting the better of Jar-Jar in all the training tests.

On Jar-Jar's and Doyce's last day of training, as the sun set over the hill, and Tarpals's wife began preparing everyone a delicious meal while the old Gungan captain talked to the two youths outside…

"Yousa boys doin bombad great" Tarpals beamed at his pupils. Jar-Jar and Doyce had been working hard in their "battle training" for Captain Tarpals. The two pupils had done some harvest work, and were taught how to ride kaadus. Jar-Jar and Doyce had adopted their own kaadus, named them, and trained them how to ride in battle. Both had worked hard for the past three months and both went to bed sore every night.

"Yousa know how to manage yousa kaadu," Tarpals continued, "and yousa had grown strongo too. But yousa boys don't need only brains and brons, yousa also be needin mental power and concentration, not to mention stamina and a tunin of de five senses. Before yousa boys go home to yers mamas and papas, yousa needin pass one last test."

"Sure Cap'n Tarpals," Doyce agreed. "Wesa can do anytin now." Doyce was the smart one of the two rivals who seemed to be getting the better of Jar-Jar in their training. Jar-Jar seemed to be struggling with everything except keeping his kaadu, Honk, to a trot.

Tarpals picked up a rock, and took out a marking inker. Then he scribbled something on the flat side of the rock.

"Will wesa be racin again?" Jar-Jar moaned.

"Dere may be a footrace, yes." Tarpals nodded, putting the inker away. "Now, look at dis carefully." He showed them the scribble on the rock, an Otoh Gunga swirl.

"Yousa got dat memorized?"

"Uh-hai." Jar-Jar and Doyce nodded.

"Good." Tarpals went to the end of the cliff, and tossed it into the jungle below. A flock of geejaw flew off from where the rock hit some rekew trees in the distance.

"Issa dis a rock trowin contest, Cap'n?" Doyce asked.

"No. Yousa not trowin rocks, yousa findin rocks."

Jar-Jar and Doyce stared at Tarpals in fright.

"Yousa mean…" Jar-Jar stuttered, pointing at the jungle, "dat…dat rock…yousa just…"

"Yep." Tarpals nodded. He looked back at his cabin. "Yousa gots ta find dat rock. Whoever finds it and brings it back to mesa is da winna. And only da winna gets dinna."

Jar-Jar and Doyce squeaked in terror. Neither got to eat anything all day, and now they found out why.

Tarpals sat down, and looked at a timepiece on his left wrist. "And if neither of yousa find it in tirty minutes, neither of yousa get to eat." Before Tarpals could blink, both boys took off running. "Mesa wondering which one o yousa find it first!"

Jar-Jar and Doyce stopped at the edge of the cliff, and looked down the sixty-foot drop. "Whada wesa do now?" Doyce wondered. As if answering, Jar-Jar jumped down the cliff. Doyce watched in shock. "Datsa one hellova death wish yousa got Jar-Jar!"

Heh, Jar-Jar knew what he was doing. His mother taught him how to jump into trees. Jar-Jar found the perfect branch to cling onto, and grabbed it. Unfortunately, it instantly broke under his hands, and Jar-Jar went into free fall, screaming. Then he landed in a patch of woosha plant, and rubbed his head as he stood up.

"Hoo." Jar-Jar sighed. "Mesa achin all over." Suddenly, he broke into a run. "AAAAAAH! Dinna…remember dinna! Gotta remem…"

BAM! He ran into a tree. Just as quickly, he ran around the tree and into the jungle calling, "Here rockie, rockie, rockie!"

"Issa he Gungan?" Doyce wondered. Suddenly, he started to run around the cliff looking for a way down. "AAA! Hesa got way ahead of mesa!" Before he started to go down a steep bluff, he stopped. "Waitasec. Dere's no way anybody can find dat tiny rock in da bombad jungle in tirty minutes. Datzit!" Doyce dashed to the blumbush fields where some Gungan farmers were taking a break from the harvest. Doyce ran up to one lounging on his hoe in the evening heat.

" 'Scuse me! Ex-squeeze-me!"

"Can my help yousa?" the farmer asked.

"Please pardon mesa intrusion, but do yousa have an inker handy?"

"Sure." As the farmer went off to get an inker, Doyce searched the ground for a rock. He found a nice big one about the size and shape of Tarpals's rock as the farmer came back with an inker. Doyce scribbled Tarpals's picture the best he could.

"Tank yousa." Doyce chirped running back to Tarpals's cabin with the forgery.

Meanwhile, back in the jungle, little Jar-Jar looked everywhere for that rock.

"Issa round here somewhere…"

Doyce peeked from his hiding place to see Tarpals sitting cross-legged in the grass, smoking a small pipe. _Perfect, _Doyce thought with his secret smirk. _Now mesa need ta look like my really worked for it._ Doyce huffed heavily and ran out of his hiding place with the rock.

"Captn Tarpals! Mesa found it!" Tarpals looked at his timepiece, then at Doyce.

"Well, dat was quick." He smiled as he stood up. "Let mesa see." Doyce handed Tarpals the rock, and kept up his tired act.

"Mesa look everywhere, Captn. Mesa even swim in da river, and…"

BONK! Tarpals threw the rock at Doyce's head.

"Whatsa yousa tink, mesa stupid?!" Tarpals scolded. "Dat not my handwritin, yousa dumdum! Now go find it for real!"

"WAAAAAA!" Doyce cried, running for his dinner. "Forgive mesa!"

"Hmph." Tarpals snorted, sitting back down to smoke his pipe.

Doyce screamed and ran for his life as he was chased by a Nubian Tusk-cat in the jungle swamps. Great, first the narglatches, then the fanbaa stampede, and now this! He thought about climbing up a tree, but the cat would just climb up after him. Jumping in the river wouldn't do any good. Now what?

Suddenly, a huge humpbacked rancor stormed onto the scene, and grabbed the cat to devour it. Doyce looked over his shoulder at the rancor chomping on the cat.

"Dere's always da bigger fish." Doyce sighed, running from the rancor's view. Finally, Doyce stopped to rest under a zaela tree. "Whatsa else can go wrongo?"

"MY FOUND IT!"

"Huh?" Doyce raised his head towards the shout. "Jar-Jar? Issa dat yous?" Doyce got up and ran to the whooping and cheering noises. Doyce didn't have to go far to find Jar-Jar hopping up and down with the rock in his hand, yodeling whoops like an idiot.

"Mesa gonna get din-na!" Jar-Jar sang.

"No way!" Doyce blinked. "How'd yousa find it?"

"Mesa trip over it runnin from da fanbaa stampede." Jar-Jar explained.

"Yousa liar." Doyce accused, holding out his hand. "Lemmesa see dat."

"See?" Jar-Jar handed Doyce the rock. "Is da one Tarpals trew."

Suddenly, Doyce ran off with the rock, sticking out his foot long tongue at Jar-Jar. "Ha ha, succa!"

"HEY!" Jar-Jar screamed, chasing Doyce through the jungle. "YOUSA CHEETA!"

Jar-Jar chased Doyce through a family of nunas, and caused Doyce to run into a tree three times in a row. Then, Doyce ran through a fanback nesting area, hoping to make Jar-Jar too scared to pursue. But as clumsy as Jar-Jar was, Jar-Jar wasn't a dummy. Jar-Jar ran around the nesting area, and quickly caught up with Doyce.

"Yousa givet back, tooke eater!" Jar-Jar shouted after Doyce.

"No way, nerf herder!" Doyce yelled over his shoulder. "Allsa fair in love, war, and dinna time!"

"Yousa bombad rancor bait!" Suddenly Jar-Jar flipped over Doyce, and landed in front of him, causing Doyce to crash into him, and into the mud. Then Jar-Jar tried to wrestle the rock out of Doyce's hands. Doyce whacked Jar-Jar on the head with the rock, and pushed him into a tree. As Doyce kept running back to the cabin, Jar-Jar was right back on his heels, continuing the chase.

Doyce was running out of ideas on how to loose Jar-Jar. When there was no choice left, Doyce stopped running and faced Jar-Jar.

"Yousa wanna rumble? Let'sa rumble!"

"Yousa askin for a crunchin!" Jar-Jar leaped on Doyce, and the two started pounding on each other, until Jar-Jar finally kicked Doyce in the mud again. "Say uncle!" Jar-Jar demanded.

"Uncle! Uncle! Uncle!" Doyce pleaded, holding a hand up to shield him. Jar-Jar seemed stronger than before.

"Now gimmesa da rock, dewback spit!" Jar-Jar ordered, holding out his hand. Doyce rolled over in the mud, keeping his back to Jar-Jar, and sat up to catch his breath. After a few seconds, Doyce stood up with the rock in his other hand.

"Yousa go trip over your rock again." Doyce cursed, throwing the rock away into some distant bushes.

"AAAAA!" Jar-Jar yelped, running after it. "YOUSA DUMDUM!" When Jar-Jar was out of sight, Doyce took off with the other rock in his hands. 

"Hee hee." Doyce chuckled to himself, "when hesa find out dats da fake one…"

"Dis is my handwritin, alright." Tarpals nodded as he observed the rock Doyce gave him. "Well done, Doyce. Bombad job."

"Tank yousa, Captn Tarpals." Doyce bowed, hiding his secret smirk. Then Jar-Jar came back, throwing the fake rock at Doyce. Doyce was unknowingly bopped square in the butt.

So Doyce ate the delicious dinner made by Tarpals's wife while Jar-Jar starved in his room. The trip was postponed for three days since everyone but Jar-Jar became sick of ill-prepared tooke.

The End

Next: The Road to Otoh Gunga


	4. Young Jar Jar Binks: Part 3

Star Wars: Jar-Jar Binks

Star Wars: Jar-Jar Binks

All SW related Gungans are © George Lucas and LucasFilms

All plants and animals are © Lucas Learning and George

Don't bother to sue me for this, you'll be wasting your time.

The Road to Otoh Gunga

When we last left off, Jar-Jar and Doyce had to find a needle in a haystack, actually it was a marked rock in a forest. With the threat of the looser not getting to eat, both Gungans raced and fought and even outran rancors to find that rock. With a little cheating, the sneaky Gungan boy Doyce Sydewynder retrieved the rock and got his dinner while poor Jar-Jar starved the night away.

This next chapter of Jar-Jar's childhood takes place three days after that day, early in the morning…

*******

"HEY! YOUSA LAZY BOYS GET UP! WESA GOT A LONG TRIP BACK TO OTOH GUNGA!" Tarpals screamed at the two boys in their bunks. They bolted out of their blankets and ran to stand in front of Tarpals. The Gungan captain snorted at them. "Well, whatsa yousa two waitin for? A bus? Yousa get downstairs and get your breakfast before mesa…" Suddenly, they dashed past him and down the stairs of the cabin. "…feed it to da kaadu." Tarpals finished, surprised. "Hm, guess dey not sick anymore."

**********

"Hesa in a better mood dan he was yesterday." Jar-Jar told Tarpals's wife as he got his kaadu from the stall. "Hesa wasn't as loud."

"Whatsa yous talking bout, Binks?" the Gungan woman turned to him as she herded four baby kaadu into the stall with Tarpals's kaadu. "Hesa scared all da kaadu in here, and if mesa got my biology right, hesa made some peko peko fly off with dat voice of 'is." Jar-Jar had to smile as he flopped the saddle on his personal kaadu, Honk.

"Issa he always like dat, mam?" Jar-Jar asked as he grabbed the reigns from a hook on the stall's wall.

"Well, let mesa put it to yousa dis way," Tarpals's wife said as she put a bucket of water in the stall with the mother and baby kaadu. "Hesa had one hellovan ulcer de past tree days." Jar-Jar smiled as he strapped the reigns on Honk, and tightened them.

**************

Jar-Jar, Doyce, Tarpals and his wife rode their kaadu outside, and started for the road to Oota Gunga. Tarpals's wife had packed some snacks in case anyone was hungry. Honk wanted to speed up when he saw open fields, causing Jar-Jar to get nervous. Jar-Jar could never ride a running kaadu, because he would get thrown in the dirt and end up chasing it to get back in the saddle. Doyce's kaadu, Stormcloud, was a problem too. He didn't have Honk's need for speed, but wanted to play the game his way. The word 'no' wasn't in his vocabulary, and would do whatever he felt like and not what his rider wanted to do. After several weeks of stubborn training, Stormcloud seemed a little better behaved until you weren't paying attention to him.

Honk started to moan and squawk a couple times, throwing his head around impatiently. He wanted to run, but Jar-Jar had different ideas. "Honk, stop it." Jar-Jar ordered, tugging the reigns. "Wesa wanna go for walk, not race."

"Since Honk feels a little impatient about da trip," Tarpals said to Jar-Jar, "why don't yousa take point, Jar-Jar?"

"Mesa, Captn?" Jar-Jar blinked, pointing to himself.

"Issa easy, Jar-Jar." Tarpals explained, pointing at a hill ahead of him. "Just over dat hill is da road wesa takin. It goes straight to da swamp where wesa got a bongo waiting for ussen. Keep on da road, and wesa be dere before yousa know it. Okieday?"

"Okieday!" Jar-Jar nodded, happily. "Let'sa go, Honk!" Jar-Jar spurred Honk once, and Honk took off running before Jar-Jar could get second thoughts. Jar-Jar was clutching Honk's neck and reigns screaming. "AAAAA! Hep me!"

"Mesa comin, Jar-Jar!" Doyce cried, cracking Stormcloud's reigns. Stormcloud raced after Honk over the hill. Tarpals's wife shielded her eyes with her hand as she watched the two boys race over the hill.

"Should wesa go after dem?" she asked her husband.

"No." Tarpals shook his head with a smile. "Theysa be back, and wesa got all da time in da galaxy."

************

Already a mile away from Tarpals and his wife, Jar-Jar and Doyce managed to slow Honk down to a stop, and got him munching on some bubble spore nearby. Jar-Jar rubbed his head with worry, still recovering from shock.

"Mesa no doin dat again." Jar-Jar vowed, trying to calm down. Doyce looked along the road ahead of them as Jar-Jar muttered to himself. Stormcloud waited for Doyce's command as Doyce looked on the path with sudden worry and sadness. He groaned softly and lowered his head. However, the groan was loud enough for Jar-Jar to hear. "Whatsa da matter, Doyce?"

"Jar-Jar," Doyce moaned, looking at his rival sadly. "Yousa really wanna go back to Otoh Gunga?"

"Uh-huh." Jar-Jar nodded. "Mesa miss my mama and papa." Then Jar-Jar's smile went to a concerned, suspicious frown. "Don't yous? Yousa wanna go back to yousa mama and papa too, right?"

"…" Doyce took his eyes off Jar-Jar and stared at the reigns of his kaadu.

"Don't yous?" Jar-Jar asked again. When Doyce didn't move or speak, Jar-Jar poked him in the shoulder. "Doyce?" Suddenly, Doyce spurred Stormcloud, and steered him off the road, and into the wilderness with a "Yaa!" "Doyce?! Where yousa goin?!" Jar-Jar spurred his kaadu's attention from the bubble spore, and followed Doyce.

"Leave mesa alone, Jar-Jar!" Doyce called as he raced away. 

"Why for? Whatsa wrongo, Doyce?"

"Just leave mesa alone, nerf herder!" 

"Just tell mesa!" Then, Jar-Jar spurred Honk, urging him to go faster. Jar-Jar hung on with all his might as Honk sped at his fastest speed after Doyce. Finally, Honk and Stormcloud were neck and neck, and Jar-Jar grabbed Stormcloud's reigns. "Just tell mesa, Doyce. Yousa no have to do dis."

"Yes, I do. Now let go, Jar-Jar!" Doyce shoved a hand at Jar-Jar.

"No. Mesa understand, if yousa just tell mesa."

"Jar-Jar!" Doyce yelled, pushing Jar-Jar hard with both hands. Jar-Jar lost his balance on Honk and fell off, holding on to Stormcloud's reigns. "Let go, dumdum!" Jar-Jar didn't answer, just panicked as he tried to match Stormcloud's speed on foot. Jar-Jar gave Stormcloud's reigns a tight yank, and the kaadu stopped with a quack of protest. Jar-Jar was hoisted in the air as Stormcloud raised his head trying to shake the Gungan boy off the reigns, throwing Doyce off his back and onto the ground. Jar-Jar finally let go, and fell on the ground on his butt, and Stormcloud walked around to find something to eat. Doyce got up and dusted himself off, then looked at Jar-Jar, who was nursing his sore fanny. Doyce marched over to him, and punched him in the face.

"YOUSA BASTARD! WHAT YOUSA GO AND DO DAT FOR?! HUH?" Doyce yelled. Jar-Jar fell over from the force of the punch, falling back on his butt.

"What?" Jar-Jar asked. "What mesa do?"

"Yousa got us lost. Dat's what yousa did." Doyce scolded. "But den again, dat's yer problem, and not mine. Mesa wanted to get lost in da first place." With that Doyce started to leave. Jar-Jar watched him, then got up and followed.

"Hey wait. Why yousa wanna get lost out here? Dere's lots of dangerous critters out here. Yousa crazy if…" Suddenly, Doyce spun around and slapped Jar-Jar clear on the nose.

"Don't yousa ever call mesa dat! Ever!" Doyce spat, then he turned back around and continued on. "Stormcloud!" 

"Ow." Jar-Jar moaned, rubbing his nose. Then, he continued after Doyce. "Hey! Yousa can talk to mesa. Mesa yer friend."

"Yer no friend mesa wanna have, dumdum."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Why?"

"Just because. Now go away."

"Gimmesa tree good reasons why."

"Yousa clumsy, yousa stupid, and yousa can no do da Gamorean two-step without trippin over yerself. Now leave mesa alone."

"Doyce!" Jar-Jar ran ahead of Doyce and stood in front of him. "Yousa can at least tell me why yousa run off like dat."

"Mesa no tell yousa notin."

"C'mon. Don't yousa wanna go home to yousa mama? Mesa bet she missin yousa…"

"MESA NO HAVE A MAMA, DUMDUM!" Doyce screamed, turning away from Jar-Jar with his arms crossed. Jar-Jar blinked in surprise, saying nothing. Suddenly, Doyce started sobbing. "Yousa no know what it feels like, Jar-Jar…yousa got everytin yousa want." Doyce sat down on a nearby fallen tree, bending his head so he couldn't look at Jar-Jar. Jar-Jar sat beside him.

"Mesa sorry." Jar-Jar whispered. "Issa dat why yousa won't go back to Otoh…"

"No." Doyce choked, wiping his teary eyes. "Issa not mesa mama, issa mesa papa. Hesa no wanted mesa to be a warrior, hesa wanted mesa to be on de Gungan High Council since mesa baby. Mesa mama…my never knew her. Metinks shesa never gotta say in mesa future. Mesa granda took her place, and hesa say mesa can be whatever mesa wanted, and hesa support mesa. Mesa papa wanted notin but his dream to come true. Hesa pushed me into Law and Government, and all dat crap. Hesa wantin to be proud o me.

"Mesa no wanna be in da High Council, issa hard work. Mesa rather be a scientist or doctor, cause mesa smart, and mesa know bout dat stuff. But, if mesa being anytin, mesa gotta take warrior trainin cause everybody does. So, mesa made plans o not going back to Otoh Gunga. Mesa plan to live in da jungle, and rough it."

"Yousa bein outcast?" Jar-Jar asked.

"Mesa guess so. If dat's what my gotta do, but whatever my doin, my no goin back to Otoh Gunga. Never."

"But your granda…whatsa bout him?"

"Yeah, dat's one loss, but a small price to pay."

"Doyce," Jar-Jar began, standing up, "yousa know what mesa mama would say bout dis? Shesa say dat yousa runnin away. And if issa one ting mesa mama taught me, issa never run away when da goin get tough. Yousa gotta make a stand, and say what yousa believe. Yousa gotta tell yousa papa, 'My no wanna be on da High Council, mesa wanna be a doctor,' or sometin like dat. Metinks dat yousa no learn notin from Tarpals, cause yousa no can fight fer yerself. Yousa gotta stand up for yousa dreams, Doyce."

"Easier said dan done, Jar-Jar." Doyce muttered. "Yousa never met mesa papa."

"Whosa yousa papa?"

"Hesa bombad General Sydewynder."

"General?" Jar-Jar squeaked in surprise. "Whoa. And, uh, yousa granda?"

"Retired. Mesa papa got control over 'im."

"Doyce…"

"So yousa see da reason why mesa can never go back."

"Dat's no reason at all." With that, Doyce got up with another sob, and started walking towards his kaadu. "Now where yousa goin?" 

"Didn't yousa listen to one word my say? My gonna get lost. Yousa no need to get lost. Yousa got a mama and papa back in Otoh Gunga who love yous. Mesa got notin."

"Yousa got yer granda."

"Shut up!" Doyce yelled, running off. Jar-Jar followed him.

"Doyce!"

"What?!" 

"Mesa lost with yous. Can yousa hep mesa get back to Otoh Gunga? My promise, mesa leave yousa alone after dat." Doyce stopped to think about that, but Jar-Jar didn't stop in time, and plowed into him, knocking him into the muddy ground. Doyce flicked Jar-Jar's ears out of his face.

"Okieday, okieday. Mesa hep yous get back home, now get off mesa." Jar-Jar stood up and helped Doyce dust himself off.

**************

"Yousa sure wesa goin da right way?"

"For da millionth time, Jar-Jar, yes! Mesa no lost."

"Yousa positive?"

"Ow! Hey, yousa sittin on my ear!"

"Well, yousa keep kickin my shin."

Jar-Jar and Doyce were sitting on Stormrider, and riding back the way they came to get Jar-Jar back on the path. Honk wasn't anywhere to be found, so the two Gungan boys had to sit in the same saddle on the same kaadu. Stormrider would honk every now in then, to say something that would probably mean "Geez, that's a hutt and a half!" in kaadu. Doyce was up front holding Stormcloud's reigns while Jar-Jar was practically clinging to him in the back. Both boys weren't happy about seating arrangements, but neither of them wanted to walk, and this was the only alternative.

"So, uh, are wesa dere yet?"

"Jar-Jar!"

"What?"

"Of course wesa no dere, dumdum!"

"Can yousa go any faster?"

"If mesa go faster, yousa fall off, and yousa drag mesa with yous. Haven't yousa learned dat yet?"

"Mesa no fall off dis time."

"Yousa said dat four times already, and guess what happened four times ina row."

"Mesa no fall off dis time, my promise."

Doyce sighed angrily. Jar-Jar was just gonna complain until he got his way, then they would fall off Stormrider's back for the fifth time and…well, how would Jar-Jar get back to Otoh Gunga six feet underground?

"My dunno why, but my gonna trust yousa. Yousa better not fall off, okieday?"

"Okieday." Jar-Jar saluted with a smile. Doyce gave him a suspicious look, and turned back to his kaadu.

"Stormcloud, hah!" Doyce spurred, and Stormcloud switched from walk to run. Jar-Jar cried in surprise, clinging to Doyce in a bear hug. "Jar-Jar, calm down!" Doyce yelled as trees passed them in green blurs. "Wesa not goin dat fast, so simmer…HEY! Watch what yousa grabbin, tooke eater!"

"Slow down! Slow down!" Jar-Jar pleaded.

"Yousa wimp!" Doyce scolded. "Yousa can't even go dis fast?"

"Mesa not a wi…"

WHAP! A low tree branch whacked Jar-Jar in the chin, sending him flying off the saddle, taking Doyce with him. They landed on top of each other as Stormcloud continued to run off.

"Yousa Kowakian monkey-lizard!" Doyce spat, as he got up. "Ho no! Stormcloud! Yousa get back here, dumdum!"

"Hoy." Jar-Jar groaned as he sat up. "Dat hurrrt." Then he looked around, seeing Doyce running away from him. "Wait! Doyce! Don't leave mesa here!" As Jar-Jar ran after Doyce, he watched as after a few moments, Doyce stopped and kicked the dirt, swearing a word he picked up from downtown Otoh Gunga. "What'sa wrong?"

"Stormcloud's gone. Hesa went ahead of ussen." Doyce moaned. "If Tarpals was right, den hesa runnin back to da cabin."

"So he's gone?"

"If notin eats 'im, yep." Doyce nodded. Then he glared at Jar-Jar. "Hey, waitasec, yousa said yousa wouldn't fall off!"

"Mesa didn't." Jar-Jar shook his head, pointing back the way they came. "Da tree. Dat tree knock mesa off, mesa no fall."

"Yousa…aw, forget it. C'mon, wesa were goin dis way." Doyce started to walk off with Jar-Jar right behind him.

"Dis is bad, ain't it, Doyce?"

"Can't get no worse." Doyce answered, taking point.

"Are wesa gonna die out here?"

"Hey, Jar-Jar, whatever wesa do out here, wesa no gonna die."

"But…wesa got no kaadu, or path, or water. Howsa wesa gonna survive?"

"Wesa just remember Tarpals's trainin and wesa be okieday."

"Yousa sure?" That did it. Doyce stopped walking and turned around to face Jar-Jar, and stuck a finger in his chest.

"Looka here, yousa. Wesa off da trail, mesa no wanna go home but yousa do, wesa both loose our kaadu, and wesa lost. Whatsa else can go wrongo?"

Suddenly, a huge rancor lumbered onto the scene, reeking of sweat and a fresh kill. Jar-Jar panicked and jumped on Doyce. Doyce grabbed Jar-Jar's mouth to shut him up, and hissed at him. The rancor faced their direction and growled. Doyce frowned out of habit. He was ready to wet his pants, a rancor here on Naboo? What was with this jungle?

"Whadda wesa do?" Jar-Jar whispered through Doyce's hands.

"Yousa shut up." Doyce hissed. "Maybe it hasn't seen ussen yet." Jar-Jar watched in fear as the huge lumbering beast took one Naboo shattering step towards them. 

"Mesatinks it saw ussen."

"Yeah, my agree."

"Whadda wesa do now, Doyce?"

"Uh…" Doyce tried to think, looking up at the huge monster. Suddenly, it roared. It was a loud and terrible bellow that shook Doyce and Jar-Jar's bones. Neither could help it, they both screamed and ran for their lives. The rancor was on their heels, swinging its huge lumbering arms tipped with claws. Jar-Jar was screaming as he ran, and it wasn't long before the rancor's chase led to an entire herd of ikopi and phalsepent, which stampeded away from the rancor as it chased the Gungan boys. Both Doyce and Jar-Jar found themselves caught in a huge stampede! Jar-Jar was in full panic as he ran.

"WAAAAAAA! WESA GONNA DIEEEEEEEEE!"

"Shutta da hell up, Jar-Jar!" Doyce yelled over the noise of terrified ikopi, "Just keep runnin!" Doyce and Jar-Jar kept running for what seemed like forever from that persistent rancor, who had already caught two phalsepent, and kept chasing the two Gungan boys as if the massive phalsepent were appetizers, which they probably were.

"Hesa no givin up, Doyce!" Jar-Jar squealed as they kept their run. "Mesa tired. When issit gonna…"

"Don't stop runnin, Jar-Jar. If yousa value yer life, yousa no stop runnin!" Doyce urged. Then, Jar-Jar spotted a cave as they ran past.

"Doyce…"

"I saw it, Jar-Jar. C'mon, issa oursa only chance!" Suddenly, Doyce grabbed Jar-Jar's arm, and stopped running. Jar-Jar plowed into him as the clumsy Gungan tried to stop. When Doyce got up, he guided Jar-Jar past the oncoming stampede, and started dashing for that cave. When he spotted it, the rancor was right in front of them, and reaching with one claw. Doyce quickly danced out of the way of the claw, and dragged Jar-Jar for the cave. They found an opening between two rocks wedged close together to form the opening. There was a crack big enough for the two boys to squeeze through one at a time. Doyce scrambled for it then realized it might be too small for them. "Wesa gotta go in one at a time. C'mon Jar-Jar."

Jar-Jar didn't hesitate. The rancor was heading straight for them! Jar-Jar wiggled through, but got his hips stuck in the cracks.

"Uh oh."

"Dat's not what mesa wanna hear, Jar-Jar!" Doyce said nervously as the rancor came closer with a roar.

"My stuck!" Jar-Jar whined, trying to wiggle free. Doyce looked between Jar-Jar and the rancor a few times in fear, then finally began to push Jar-Jar through the crack.

"C'mon Jar-Jar! Suck it in!"

"Ow! Dat's hurten me!"

"Well yousa da one with da fat butt!"

"DOYCE! LOOK OUT!" Doyce turned to see the rancor reaching for them with one claw. With a final scream, Doyce gave Jar-Jar's hips a final shove, and they both fell in the crack and into a large cavern. Doyce landed on top of Jar-Jar, and poor Jar-Jar landed face first on hard rock.

"Ow!" Jar-Jar moaned. "Hey, yousa get offa mesa!" Doyce rolled off of Jar-Jar, heaving sighs of relief. The rancor roared in defeat and frustration, and there were sounds of it reluctantly chasing what was left of the stampede. Jar-Jar sat up, and put a hand under one ear listening carefully. "My no hear anytin. Hesa might be gone."

"Seems dat way." Doyce nodded in agreement. "Whew, dat was da closest call mesa ever had." Doyce lay down and spread his arms in tire. Jar-Jar got up and peeked out of the crack. Then he looked back at Doyce with a smile.

"Hesa gone. Dere's notin out dere."

"Not even a nuna?"

"Nope." Jar-Jar shook his head happily. Doyce moaned and buried his head in his hands. "Issa dat bad?"

"Yes, itsa bery bad. Da rancor musta ate everytin in its path. Dere's no food out dere! How are wesa gonna eat till wesa find dat path?"

"Dere's gotta be sometin." Jar-Jar hoped, looking down at his grumbling stomach. "Maybe if wesa find some water, mesa can find sometin."

"Maybe. Yousa an okieday hunter…" Doyce thought over, then stood up. "Let'sa get outta here. Dere should be a river round here somewhere." 

"Okieday." Jar-Jar nodded, starting to crawl through the crack. Doyce grabbed Jar-Jar's pant leg.

"Oh no yousa don't, fatty. My going first."

"Whosa yousa callin fatty, tooke eater?!"

"Nerf herder."

"Rancor bait."

"No more rancors for today, Jar-Jar. Go on, yousa first."

************

After three hours of a torturing walk, Jar-Jar and Doyce finally found a river under the shade of several zaela and hsburry trees. Jar-Jar let out a "whoo-ho!" of victory, and ran for the river. Doyce watched him leave.

"Jar-Jar, wait! Issa might being…" Doyce tried to warn, but stopped when Jar-Jar front flipped into the water, disappearing with a splash. Doyce sighed with futility. Before he considered trying to jump in after Jar-Jar to tell him this was the Nyork infested waters…

"NYORK!"

"YEEOOOOOOOOOOOW!" Jar-Jar jumped ten feet out of the water as at least seven Nyorks had clamped their shells on his hands and nose. Doyce couldn't help but laugh as the clumsy Gungan yanked the mollusks off him, and threw them on shore. Jar-Jar glared at Doyce. "Whatsa yousa laughin at, tooke eater?!"

"Captn Tarpals woulda loved to see dat!" Doyce said between laughs. Jar-Jar frowned, and threw a Nyork shell at Doyce.

"Yousa shut up."

"NYORK!"

"YEEOOOOOOOOOOOW!" Jar-Jar yelped again, then looked at his behind seeing a Nyork had clamped itself on his behind. "How rude." Jar-Jar growled at it, then made despret attempts to reach it. "Yousa let go, dumdum!" He shouted at it as he chased it. "My too big to be yousa dinna!" Doyce kept laughing as he pried open the Nyork shell Jar-Jar threw. Finally, Jar-Jar sat down to crush it, and the Nyork let go. Jar-Jar stood up, and ate the meat under the crushed shell. "Heh, heh. Tough meat."

"Da Nyorks round here have some sort o hankerin for Gungan rump roast, eh?" Doyce joked, as he slurped down some fresh Nyork meat. Jar-Jar didn't say anything. He picked up another Nyork to satisfy his stomach.

**************

"YAI YAI YAI YAI! Oof!" 

Jar-Jar fell face first in the splinter weed, watching several motts run away from his noisy lunge. Doyce jumped out of the hiding place, steaming mad.

"Yousa can't catch notin on land, can yous?" Doyce scolded.

"I can! I can!" Jar-Jar claimed. "Issa just dat my never hunted tings with four legs before."

"Yousa no gonna make it in dis world, are yous?" Doyce sighed, walking off. "Yousa on yer own, Jar-Jar."

"WHAT?!" Jar-Jar yelped, running after him. "No, no! Yousa give mesa another chance!"

"I did."

"Well, give mesa second chance." 

"Dat was yer second chance, knuckle head!"

"Well…give mesa a tird chance, please Doyce? Please?"

*****************

After a few minutes of back and forth "please" and "no"s, Jar-Jar and Doyce were stalking a wild kaadu, feasting on some blumbush. Jar-Jar hunched down lower as Doyce crash-coursed him in whisper.

"Okieday, stay low."

"Okieday."

"Keepin down wind."

"Okieday."

"Quiet, you'll scare it!"

"Okieday!"

"Alrighty. Now, when I say go…"

"Say wha?"

"Go…"

Taking that as the signal, Jar-Jar bolted out of hiding and chased the kaadu.

"YAI YAI YAI YAI!"

"JAR-JAR! NO!" Doyce stood up, yelling after him. Too late, Jar-Jar was off and running after that kaadu. Doyce ran after him, cursing himself for trusting that clutz. Jar-Jar made a leap after the kaadu to jump on its back, but instead grabbed the tail, and fell. He ended up getting dragged over the marshy ground, whooping in fear. "Dere goes da kaadu…" Doyce noted, keeping a respectable distance from the kaadu. "Dere goes da clutz…" Finally, Jar-Jar let go, and landed face first in a bowlump inhabited mud hole, and the kaadu ran off. "…Dere goes dinna." Doyce growled, stopping next to Jar-Jar.

Jar-Jar came out of the mud hole sticky with muck from head to toe. He sat down in the dirt to come to his senses, shaking his head to clear it.

"Mesa hate fast food." Jar-Jar muttered. Doyce finally marched off.

"Dat's it, Binks. Yousa on yer own." He announced, walking off. Jar-Jar bolted up upon hearing that, and ran after Doyce.

"Don't Doyce, please! Mesa gonna die out here without yousa help!"

"Good riddance." Doyce muttered. Jar-Jar grabbed Doyce's hand.

"Please Doyce, please?" Doyce growled deep in his throat, and yanked his hand from Jar-Jar's grip, using it to punch him in the face. Jar-Jar staggered from the blow, and fell down a nearby bluff, and into soft mud with a squishy splat. "How rude." Jar-Jar snorted up at Doyce. He put his hands on the side of him to get up, when he noticed where he landed. Fanbacks were all around him, standing over holes in the ground. Uh oh, Jar-Jar landed on fanback nesting grounds. "D-d-d-Doyce…"

"Yousa on yer own now, Jar-Jar." Doyce called from above, unaware of Jar-Jar's situation. Jar-Jar looked around nervously as a few of the fanbacks around him started hissing at him.

"Doy-oyce!"

"What?!"

"Hep me! Fanbacks! Everywhere!" That got Doyce running to the edge of the bluff, looking down at Jar-Jar and the threat at his every angle. "Whadda mesa do?"

"Don't move!" Doyce commanded, holding his hands out. "Uh…did yousa crush any eggs?"

"I don't tink so…" Jar-Jar looked around nervously as he was becoming surrounded. The fanback count went from four to seven. "…No…"

"Okieday. Yousa in no serious trouble," Doyce advised. "but if yousa make any sudden moves or noises, deysa be on yousa before yousa can kiss yer butt goodbye."

"Wha-wha-whadda mesa do, Doyce? Mesa scared." Jar-Jar whimpered, watching the fanback count rise from seven to twelve. "Doyce…"

"Hold on! Mesa comin! Don't move a mussel, Jar-Jar." Doyce turned around, and attempted to climb down feet first. Jar-Jar was on the verge of tears as one fanback leaned her nose close to his to get a scent of him. Doyce slowly slid down the bluff, landing quietly on his feet, and turned his head to look at Jar-Jar. The count went up to fifteen already, and more were coming. It was the biggest nesting area Doyce had ever seen of fanbacks. No wonder Jar-Jar was scared stiff.

The air was filled with the hissing of fanbacks that were becoming larger, and the hissing becoming louder. Doyce slowly turned around, and Jar-Jar huddled into a ball to protect himself however he could. Doyce bent down and scooped up some of the mud with one hand, and packed it into a ball. The hissing became the breathable air as more and more fanbacks came into the area now at a count of thirty. How big was this area anyway? Then, Doyce used all his might to throw the mudball at an unprotected nest of eggs. Several fanbacks turned their heads to it. Doyce made another mudball, and threw it at another nest. Suddenly, the fanbacks started to move to their nests to protect them. Jar-Jar watched them leave in confusion. Then, after throwing one more mudball at a nest, Doyce made a run for Jar-Jar, and grabbed his hands.

"C'mon, Jar-Jar!" Doyce called, pulling Jar-Jar off the ground, and getting him into a run. With a throaty roar, one of the fanbacks gave chase, and grabbed a leg of Jar-Jar's pants with her jaws and pulled. Doyce grabbed a hold of Jar-Jar's shirt, and pulled, starting a tug-of-war with a panicking Jar-Jar as the rope. "Oh, where's dat rancor when mesa need him?" Doyce growled, pulling with all his might. Suddenly, he got an idea. "Jar-Jar, hold still!"

"What?!" 

Doyce reached over to Jar-Jar's pants, and tugged on the pantleg the fanback had a hold on, ripping the cloth. Finally, Doyce ripped off the entire pantleg, leaving the fanback with a mouth full of saago cloth, and the Gungan boy pulled Jar-Jar to safety up on the bluff. "C'mon, Jar-Jar. Let'sa get yousa outta here." The two boys started running like there was no tomorrow, and stopped at a grove of hsburry trees. "Jar-Jar?"

"Yeah, Doyce?"

"Can't yousa go one minute without getting inta trouble?"

"Huh?"

*****************

"Doyce…"

"What now?"

"Tank yous for saving mesa back dere."

"Yeah, yousa welcome…Jar-Jar…"

"Hm?"

"Dis isn't easy for mesa to say, but uh, sorry for punchin yous back dere. My didn't mean too, issa just dat, well, yousa can really get ona man's nerves…"

"Dat's what a lot o people sayin. Mesa doin notin, but mesa always getting in trouble."

"Mesa don know what yousa problem is, but mesa hopin issa phase…"

"Huh?"

"Oh, nutin."

"Doyce?"

"Yeah?"

"My forgive yousa for punchin mesa."

"Hey, tanks."

"Sure. Doyce?"

"Yeah?"

"Are wesa friends now?"

"Uh…my guess so. But, when wesa get to dat bongo to Otoh Gunga, issa every Gungan for 'imself, okieday?"

"Oh, okieday. Doyce?"

"Jar-Jar?"

"I love yous."

"Hey! Don't push yer luck, Jar-Jar Binks!"

**********************

Jar-Jar and Doyce spent the next hour looking for the path. They figured that keeping the setting sun to their backs would help them get to the path, since Tarpals's cabin was in the far north. Along the way, they found fallen peko peko tail feathers and had pinned them to their shirts. The feathers looked out of place on their muddy shirts and skin, the feathers were a baby blue with two streaks of bright yellow on either side of the stems. They looked like soft badges stuck to their shirts, or what was left of them. For five hours, they look like they haven't been washed in five years, and almost smelled older.

"Do yousa tink Tarpals issa lookin for ussen?" Jar-Jar asked Doyce as they climbed over a five-foot tall rutiger treeroot growing in the mud.

"Hesa should be." Doyce assumed, helping Jar-Jar over the root. "Issa been a long time since wesa ran away."

"How long have wesa been gone anyway?" Jar-Jar asked, looking back down at Doyce who was holding Jar-Jar's foot to push him up. "Issa seemin like ferever."

"Maybe a few hours, not a bery long time, Jar-Jar." Doyce calculated as he pushed Jar-Jar's foot over the top of the root. Jar-Jar swung his foot over the top of the root, and sat on it. He reached his hand down so Doyce could get a hold. Doyce grabbed a knobby handhold of the tree with one hand, and took Jar-Jar's outstretched hand with the other. "Wow, yousa got stronger." Doyce admired as Jar-Jar hoisted him up the root with one arm. "Yousa maybe a clutz, but yousa strong as a fanbaa." Jar-Jar smiled at Doyce as the Gungan boy sat by Jar-Jar.

"Hey, mesa got an idea." Jar-Jar announced, standing up on the root. "Why don't wesa climb up da tree to see where wesa are."

"Nota bad idea, Jar-Jar." Doyce smiled. "Yousa getting smarter too. Let mesa." Doyce stepped around Jar-Jar, and started climbing up the tree trunk to the branches above. Jar-Jar watched as Doyce reached the canopy, and peeked his head out of the leaves to look around. "Wow. Nice view." Doyce gasped. He shielded his eyes from the setting sun to get a better look. "Hey Jar-Jar!"

"Huh?"

"Dere's a bunch of Tassler Trees where we're headed. Wesa could be headin to da obstacle course!"

"Wesa almost dere?"

"Almost dere, Jar-Jar. Wesa almost dere." Doyce assured.

"Whoo-ho!" Jar-Jar cheered, jumping for joy…straight off the tree root and five feet into the swamp water.

**************

At least five more minutes of walking, and they made it to the deadly faynaa infested Tassler River. Jar-Jar and Doyce had to swim through the river as a training test. They had to outswim faynaa through a fast currented river ten feet deep and choked with Tassler tree roots making the river an underwater maze. "Hell underwater" Doyce called it after he was finished. The faynaa made the task especially difficult for Jar-Jar, since two of them chomped on his rear, and refused to let go.

They traveled up the river for another hour, joking and laughing about the days in Otoh Gunga, the good times mostly. Doyce got a kick out of Jar-Jar's story about his first game of gulliball, and laughed most of the way upriver. Soon, the stories stopped, and the laughing ceased as Jar-Jar and Doyce reached the fishing hole, the river's beginning headwaters. Jar-Jar smiled in disbelief, and started cheering. "Wesa back! Wesa back!" Jar-Jar and Doyce did a little victory dance before running up the hill to the training grounds, and the cabin beyond them. A few meters from the front door of the cabin stood Tarpals's wife on kaadu back, looking over the horizons. Jar-Jar waved to her, and ran for all it's worth, shouting to her.

"Hey dere! Mesa back! Mesa…whoof!" Jar-Jar fell on the ground and got up just as quickly. "He-ey!"

"Jar-Jar!" Tarpals's wife cried out, watching the Gungan boy running towards her. "Where were yousa? Where'sa Doyce?"

"Right here!" Tarpals came up behind Doyce, and grabbed him from the back of the shirt to hoist him up on the kaadu. Doyce looked up sheepishly at Tarpals, who completely took him by surprise. "Where were yousa boys? Wesa thought dat rancor got yous."

"Wesa got lost, dat's all." Doyce tried his best to lie.

"Yousa did not!" Jar-Jar called back. "Yousa ran off, cause yousa didn't wanna go back to Otoh Gunga, remember?"

"JAR-JAR!" Doyce yelled.

"Issa dat true, Doyce?" Tarpals growled at the Gungan boy.

"Uh…well…" _Captn Tarpals or no Captn Tarpals, Binks issa dead da minute I get mesa hands on 'im!_

**************

An hour later of traveling down the path to Otoh Gunga and confessing everything that happened, Tarpals and his students arrived at the bongo parked on the swamp bank. Among the waiting Gungans were Jar-Jar's mother, who Jar-Jar didn't hesitate to jump into her arms. Also, two Gungan elders were waiting: one was dressed in gray, and the other was in armor. They were Doyce's father and grandfather, who Doyce didn't look at right away. He finally reluctantly hugged both of them as they got in the bongo and said their good-byes to Tarpals and his wife. Tarpals watched the bongo move further out to the deeper end of the swamp, and dive below the waters.

The trip back to Otoh Gunga seemed gloomy to Doyce, who was going back to the lectures and his studies of Law and Government. He would have been happier as anything but a member of the High Council, but his father was the head of the house, and Doyce couldn't argue with him until he was grown up; and by that time his father would push him on the council…or worse, in an arranged marriage! Jar-Jar was lucky; he had a nice home with a father who loved him, and…a mother! That was the one true thing Doyce could never have in his life! Doyce hated him for that! That clumsy Gungan who couldn't even spell his name right had a brave, loving mother! That tooke eater would be lucky if Doyce didn't attack him the minute they got back to Otoh Gunga!

Landing in the bongo bay, Jar-Jar and Doyce had to go their separate ways. Before they left, they stopped to chat just by the bay exit.

"Yousa bombad, Doyce. Stay hot." Jar-Jar smiled, sticking out his hand for Doyce to shake. Doyce smirked back, and gave Jar-Jar's hand a squeeze.

"Yousa too, Binks. Hey, if dos bullies pick on yousa again, yousa know what to do. And if dat don't work, remember dat yousa gots a friend in Otoh Gunga." Doyce promised. "Wesa gonna meet again one day, my just know it."

"Yeah." Jar-Jar nodded. Then, Jar-Jar's mother started walking towards the two, and Jar-Jar looked at Doyce one last time, putting a finger on Doyce's peko peko feather. "Yousa don't forget mesa, okieday?" Doyce put a finger on Jar-Jar's feather as well.

"Okieday. Stay hot, Jar-Jar!" Doyce turned to leave and join his father's side. Jar-Jar's mother took her son's hand as they left the bongo bay to their house.

"Yousa learn a lot at trainin, Jar-Jar?" she asked.

"Uh-huh. Mesa learned a lot, mama."

"Yousa gonna teachin dose bullies a lesson at school tomorrow?"

"Yep. Mesa gonna teach em a ting or two."

"Yousa papa gonna wanna hear dat when wesa get back."

"Oh, mesa tell yousa all about it, mama." Jar-Jar promised, stroking the feather on his chest. The past three months were definantly something Jar-Jar would never forget. 

****

Epilogue

Jar-Jar and Doyce wouldn't see each other again until the Namon War two years later. Then they would once again part, and meet again in the Battle of Naboo.

*************

Doyce sat on top of the lookout for any sign of the Naboo Royal Guard. Strange, they should have been back by now. It was getting late in the day, and that was getting him worried. What if Amidala's plan failed, and the Gungans would die? That wouldn't be pleasant.

Out of his binoculars, he saw several speeders with Naboo symbols on them. At last! He looked down at his post at the outlander boy named Anakin Skywalker. "Deysa comin!" Doyce called down to him.

"Okay!" Anakin called, running off to tell the others. Doyce stood up, and waved to the speeders, signaling them that they had reached their destination. Several of them looked like police guards; Doyce didn't know that the Naboo had a form of peacekeeper like the Gungans did. Maybe the plan wouldn't fail after all.

**********************

The droids were attacking, Gungans were falling, and Jar-Jar was running for his life from the attack. "Hep me!" he called as a kaadu rider ran towards him. "Gimmesa ride!" Doyce grabbed Jar-Jar and hoisted him on the kaadu, riding him back to the safety of the swamp. Suddenly, one of the droid tanks fired at them, blowing the kaadu off the ground and throwing Jar-Jar clear and onto one of the tank guns. Doyce wasn't so lucky; he was thrown straight to the ground where his arm snapped. The last thing he saw was the barrel of the droid blaster pointing at his face and the sound of thunder…

Jar-Jar keeps his and Doyce's peko peko feathers by his bed at night, remembering the first friend he ever had.

The End


End file.
